Rumor: Rumors & Proposals Thread XIII | LAK Put Mike Richards on Waivers

[LaGu]

Thanks.

Below is a (very rough ) translation of the article for anyone thats interested.



Whoa.

Last edited by Nunymare: Yesterday at 11:03 PM. Reason: can't post the whole thing

Why not?

And it could be ten crates fighting and tearing in two places

edit: crate = back, but also: back = defenseman

edit: for those interested in his howitzer:

 

[Vesa Awesaka]

Thanks, I


How has Cowen been?

I'm the biggest Cowen detractor on the sens board. Before this season i said he'd be behind Boro in the depth chart by the end of the year. I felt somewhat vindicated because Cowen started out playing with Karl which was a disaster and was replaced with Boro who played there off and on with phillips till he sustained an off ice injury.

Cowen has be inconsistent. Nearly all sens fans are saying him and Ceci have made up a solid 2nd pairing. Now ... is this because of Ceci or is this because of Cowen i dont know myself. Seems a lot of Sens fans are quick to give Cowen credit because imo they want him to succeed. Hes has been better though and has done things i never thought he was capable of.

In a recent game against Carolina he flipped a pass up in the air from deep in his own zone onto the stick of condra for a break away. I couldnt believe my eyes lol. I think its fair to say hes been much better. He still has problems with gap control when its comes to players with speed but a lot of his game has improved. Cowen is still the physical beast that he was when he was in junior and id have no problem saying hes one of the strongest if not the strongest players in the league. Remember this is a kid who as a 16 year old was the strongest player on his junior team. Cowen could imo be properly managed right now and be a top pairing shut down defensemen as long as you keep him away with players with speed. Cowen isnt slow.. hes a good skater for his size he just has trouble with gap control. His passing is inconsistent. I dont even know what to think of it anymore.

 

[McShogun99]

Sens fan coming in peace, I've posted this on the main boards but was wondering what kind of feedback I'd have on this.

Taylor Hall, Fasth or Scrivens

Vs

2015 1rst, Mike Hoffman, Robin Lehner, Curtis Lazar, Z.Smith/D.Legwand

You guys get a lot of value in this one. Hoffman can fill part of the void left by Hall. He has 16 goals and 25 points this season already and thats similar production to Hall(more goals, less assists) and he's only playing 14minutes a night and all of his goals ES. You guys get another 1rst, Lazar who's a young leader and great player, Lehner great goalie prospect and either Z. Smith who's a big centre or Legwand who'd be an experienced guy for all the youth in EDM.

That's a decent package but I wouldn't do it. If Hall were to get traded then I'd want a top pairing defenceman coming back.

 

[m4tt145]

Hersley is a good two way D, with an Amazing slapper, holds the record for most goals scored in the SHL, with 24 goals last season.

He played very good in KHL and in the national team. Don't know if he is NHL level though. Maybe, maybe not.

 

[Took a pill in Sbisa]

So you wouldnt want to be in Florida's position fighting for a spot in the playoffs? Because imo we are about a Luongo calibre tender away from that position IMO.

(Not saying Richards would do that for us, strictly WRT the Luongo comment)

If Florida was in the West, they'd be nowhere near the playoff race.

We are a conference away from that position, not just a goaltender.

 

[LaGu]

Why not?



edit: crate = back, but also: back = defenseman

edit: for those interested in his howitzer:

Holy crap that music is bad. I am in the office (sound off) so I didn't realize...

 

[Jimmi McJenkins]

Why not?



edit: crate = back, but also: back = defenseman

edit: for those interested in his howitzer:

Music's not horrendous, but it's not good either.

The player looks to have a monster shot, good offensive instincts, skates well and has good size. I wonder about his decision making at the NHL level, but I see him as low risk as long as you don't expect to count on him before potentially signing him.

I don't mind they're sniffing around these guys, because they might find a player. The issue is making sure when you don't have a player you realize it sooner.

 

[DrunkUncleDenis]

That's what I heard but many Sens fans on the trade board were saying otherwise. At one point he looked like a solid young d-man.



How has Cowen been?

Cowen has rebounded nicely from a bad start this year. He had a bad year last year as well, and was not doing well playing with Karlsson to start the year because Cowen had a propensity to pinch and join the rush, which is completely unnecessary when you're paired with Karlsson (EK's improvement has been astounding since he's settled down being paired with Methot). Now that Jared has spent 25 or so games with Ceci on the second pairing, he's been doing much better. His skating and lateral mobility has improved 10 fold, as he was on the verge of Hall Gill pylon territory last year. He's learning his role as a physical defensive defenseman. I don't think he'll ever be top 2, but he's definitely a top 4 guy going forward in a shut down role. He can be an absolute beast when he wants to. Given that the Sens have EK, Methot and Ceci, I would deem Cowen as expendable if we get the right return, even though his absence will hurt the Sens D in the short term.

 

[J4M13M]

Not trying to defend the Richards contract in any way, but there's a certain amount of inflation to consider over the next few years. True, the Canadian dollar will keep the cap closer to $70M next season, but in the 2 years after, it's a good bet to be closer to 80. At that point, 5.75M for a decent vesatile lineup piece that can move between lines and roles (pretty much the upside for Richards at this point in his career) will probably be a lot closer to average than it is now. Also, the fact that he'll only cost 3M in actual money in 3 years means he'll actually be quite tradeable assuming he provides some value over the next couple years. For context, Horcoff and Gomez were both awful contracts, and both were traded. When Montreal traded Erik Cole, it was highway robbery. PT Barnum said there's a sucker born every minute, and that's probably not going to change in the next couple years. You don't need a majority of GMs, or even a concensus. You only need one desperate guy out of 29 to agree to a trade. And that's only if you actually want to trade Richards at that point.

This team needs to take a few risks. The Nikitin contract was the right move, but the wrong player. Acquiring Richards may be in the same category, but it may also be along the same vein as signing Pouliot or acquiring Roy. I see it as a necessary gamble. Show him you want him here, and give him every opportunity to succeed. It's not my money, so who cares how much he's getting paid? It's not like Shea Weber and Ryan Suter are begging to come here, so I don't see the need to save cap space for future swings and misses in the UFA market. I'd be just as happy to lose out on big-name UFA and find another Mark Fayne while you wait for Nurse, Klefbom, and potentially another high-end defensive propspect from this year's draft.

Like it or not, this team is going to have to be fixed in increments. There's no miracle solution that turns the Oilers into an instant contender, so why not work on one lineup hole at a time?

 

[LaGu]

Music's not horrendous, but it's not good either.

The player looks to have a monster shot, good offensive instincts, skates well and has good size. I wonder about his decision making at the NHL level, but I see him as low risk as long as you don't expect to count on him before potentially signing him.

I don't mind they're sniffing around these guys, because they might find a player. The issue is making sure when you don't have a player you realize it sooner.

I have not actually seen him that much, but I will try to catch a couple of games in the coming weeks.

Reading off his comments it looks as he if fully expects not to be signed until after a potential training camp with a NHL club. Maybe that is normal but I thought that many over-aged Euros normally try to get signed up without doing a "try-out".

He knows that there is a long way to go before getting a chance to be a regular in the NHL.

- There is a lot of politics in the NHL. And it is not unusual to have 10 defensemen fighting for the last two spots. It is essential to be have a really good TC.

By all accounts he is solid in his own end and offensively there seems to be no issue. The mere prospect of having facing that shot on the PP ...

It is a bit worrisome that he was labeled as lazy by coaches in the past (although that was apparently more than 3 years ago so maybe he has moved past it)...

 

[dem]

We cant pick up Richards..

We need that money to sign the next David Clarkson during Free Agent Frenzy.




Watch the Flames snag Richards in a trade...

 

[Gord]

Not trying to defend the Richards contract in any way, but there's a certain amount of inflation to consider over the next few years. True, the Canadian dollar will keep the cap closer to $70M next season, but in the 2 years after, it's a good bet to be closer to 80. At that point, 5.75M for a decent vesatile lineup piece that can move between lines and roles (pretty much the upside for Richards at this point in his career) will probably be a lot closer to average than it is now. Also, the fact that he'll only cost 3M in actual money in 3 years means he'll actually be quite tradeable assuming he provides some value over the next couple years. For context, Horcoff and Gomez were both awful contracts, and both were traded. When Montreal traded Erik Cole, it was highway robbery. PT Barnum said there's a sucker born every minute, and that's probably not going to change in the next couple years. You don't need a majority of GMs, or even a concensus. You only need one desperate guy out of 29 to agree to a trade. And that's only if you actually want to trade Richards at that point.

This team needs to take a few risks. The Nikitin contract was the right move, but the wrong player. Acquiring Richards may be in the same category, but it may also be along the same vein as signing Pouliot or acquiring Roy. I see it as a necessary gamble. Show him you want him here, and give him every opportunity to succeed. It's not my money, so who cares how much he's getting paid? It's not like Shea Weber and Ryan Suter are begging to come here, so I don't see the need to save cap space for future swings and misses in the UFA market. I'd be just as happy to lose out on big-name UFA and find another Mark Fayne while you wait for Nurse, Klefbom, and potentially another high-end defensive propspect from this year's draft.

Like it or not, this team is going to have to be fixed in increments. There's no miracle solution that turns the Oilers into an instant contender, so why not work on one lineup hole at a time?

because he might be done as a player and coming to such a crappy team, be even more exposed for what he now is?
an anchor of a contact if the oilers take it.

 

[LaGu]

I guess it is better to post in the other thread, I copied the post to there.

 

[J4M13M]

because he might be done as a player and coming to such a crappy team, be even more exposed for what he now is?
an anchor of a contact if the oilers take it.

Hence my use of the word "gamble."

I agree completely, it could be the wrong player. BUt IMO it's the right kind of move for a team that has so many holes to fill. If you have a chance to fill one for free, how can you pass that up? It was the same logic for me with Chipchura, and someone who gets paid to make hockey decisions disagreed with me then too.

I have no idea which Mike Richards the team would be getting. To be fair, I don't think anyone can know. I understand the risk might be prohibitive for the next 2-3 years. But I'm just saying it can be mitigated or even nullified by a couple variables.

I feel like this organization is stagnating because they're afraid to make mistakes, so they only take small gambles. In order to make real changes, they have to take real risks, IMO. Not sure if Richards qualifies, but it's definitely the right type of move.